Travel Arrangements

The first thing you are going to want to do, if you plan on vacationing in Nantucket, is to figure out how you are going to get there.  Since Nantucket is an island thirty miles out to sea you cannot simply drive there.  There are though many different ways to get to Nantucket and they range from; a fifteen minute flight to a two hour long ferry ride.  If you want to take your car with you on the island then you really only have one option, which is to drive to Hyannis, MA and go to the Steamship Authority which is located at  141 School Street.  There you can buy a ticket to take both your car and all its passengers on the ferry.  The ferries that the Steamship Authority uses to take cars across to Nantucket each hold about 100 cars and have a top speed of around fifteen miles per hour, this means one that space is very limited so it is always smart to make a reservation and also that the thirty mile trip takes about two hours.  A reservation can be made at the Steamship Authority Website, and is very easy to do.

Steamship Authority Car Ferry "M/V Eagle"

      If you don't want to take your car over to the island there are a few more options for you.  You can still take the car ferry over as a foot passenger or with a bicycle, doing this is much less expensive than taking your car across $35 to be a foot passenger compared to $400 to take your car on, both of these are for a round trip.  If you don't want such a long crossing there is also a fast ferry, this ferry leaves from the exact same dock as the car ferry but only takes 45 minutes to get to Nantucket.  The fast ferry is a very fun and quick way way to get to Nantucket but it does cost a bit more than the "slow" ferry at $67 round trip.

Steamship Authority Fast Ferry "M/V Iyanough"

   The quickest way to get to Nantucket is to fly there.  There are a few airlines that fly to Nantucket, such as JetBlue which flies out of JFK on a direct flight to Nantucket.  The most used airline though is Cape Air, which flies out of Hyannis directly to Nantucket.  The flight from Hyannis to Nantucket takes about fifteen minutes and costs $56 each way.  Flying is a great and fairly cheap way to get to Nantucket and offers a really nice view of the island.  Although Nantucket airport is considered one of the scariest airports in the world because on days when its very foggy, as it often is in Nantucket, the run way is very hard to see and it can be unnerving to some people.  Even so plane crashes are not at all common on Nantucket and flying to Nantucket is very safe.

Aerial View of Nantucket Memorial Airport

While all of these modes of transportation are great ways to get to Nantucket, I myself prefer taking the "slow" ferry to Nantucket.  If it is a nice day the ride is very nice and relaxing.  The two hour ride across the Atlantic really gives you a sense of how far out to sea the island actually is.  From leaving the moment the boat leaves the harbor in Hyannis to the time it docks in Nantucket the ride is enjoyable and there is a lot to look at.  You can see hundreds of boats, jetskis, and even a few windsurfers on the way out of Hyannis.  Out in the Atlantic there are big fishing boats, other ferries making the trek, and also you can see Martha's Vineyard at some points on the trip.  Once the ferry closes in on Nantucket you can begin to make out buildings, then you begin to see jetties on either side of you, which mark the entrance to the harbor.  Finally the ferry enters the harbor and you see the entire town and all the houses that mark the shoreline and it is very nice.  This ferry may be the slowest way to get to Nantucket but it is by far the most pleasing.  And if your not a boat or plane person, a thirty mile swim would be great exercise.

Nantucket Harbor